In this chapter I will discuss some of the important issues relating to interactive and action research. This chapter will have focus on possibilities and limitations of interactive research as it is presented in some of the literature and carried out in a strong research environment. I will also use my own research to illustrate the issues raised.
The focus of my presentation is on how interactive research (Aagard Nielsen & Svensson 2006) has dealt with some of the challenging dilemmas that are well-known also in action research. These dilemmas can be summarised in the following way:
The presentation is based on how interactive research has been described within the Nordic countries in publications produced by some 60 researchers from 10 disciplines (Svensson et al 2002; Aagaard Nielsen & Svensson 2006; Svensson et al 2007; Johannisson et al 2008; Westlander 2008). At the end of each section I comment on the dilemmas by referring to my own experiences as a researcher.